Goodwin Granger – The Goodwin Rod – R17630

The Goodwin Granger – The Goodwin Rod was introduced in the 1923/1924 Catalog as the second-highest grade available.  It was one of Granger’s most popular grades given it’s classic appearance and affordable price point. Constructed with A-Grade cane matched up from different culms, The Goodwin Rod was introduced at a moderate $30 (later reduced to $25) and was available in 7 1/2′ to 10′ lengths (3 oz. to 6.5 oz.)

The Goodwin Rod has a distinctive wrap pattern that consists of black & white jasper windings tipped with full intermediate gold wraps.*  This unique trait gives these rods a timeless, classic appearance… and many Granger collectors appreciate the unique aesthetic of this grade.

Goodwin Rods of the 2nd era were labeled beginning with “R1” for Regular Fly Rods or “T1” for Tournament Rods followed by the model number (e.g., R17630 or T19043). Rods of the 3rd era were labeled beginning with “RF” for Regular Fly Rods or “TF” for Tournament Rods followed by the model number (e.g., RF7630 or TF9043).

Production of The Goodwin Rod grade lasted until 1930 when it was renamed the “Favorite”.

*Predecessors with full intermediate wraps included the 1st Era Deluxe grade.

Ads from the 2nd era represent one of the biggest transitions in rod design. From these ads, along with the 1923-1924 Goodwin Granger Catalog, we know that tapers across the lineup changed to include a swelled butt section that lead to increased power and better overall cast-ability.  Available rods from this era included: the “Granger Rod”, “Goodwin Rod” and “Denver Special” (in 1924).

Ads from 1923 were focused on customer testimonials highlighting large catches on Granger Rods. These first ads only list 2 prices for “fly rods at $40 and $30″. It is interesting so note that the rod illustrations in 1923 appear to be of a first era Premier—perhaps to reduce inventory before the newly designed rods became available. Then in 1924, The Denver Special re-appears and prices now show a range: “fly rods at $45 to $20″.

The ads in 1925 & 1926 are much more illustrative and large by Granger’s ad-buying standards. We also see the first use of the “Granger Rods” script that is now commonly associated with Granger rods.

All ads list “GOODWIN GRANGER & CO.” as the business entity and the addresses is consistent in this era at “East Ninth Ave., Denver, Colorado”.

You might notice that a different street number was assigned to each publication on all Granger ads. This was done to accurately track the responses for the same ad across different publications.

All ads shown here were scanned directly from their original publications.